Frustration!

[aced19]

I reread my post and sorry if I came across harsh.
Photography will drive you crazy at times. Its a long slow learning process and right when you think you know what your doing it will throw you a curve.

Is there any other photos you can upload to show us what your talking about? Maybe post one that is in a controlled environment.
As Don said you may have to bump up the sharpness level. I set my sharpness set to 7.
I personally think the photo you posted was a great shot and think the blowing hair messed with your AF.
As time goes on you will use Photoshop more than you think. It takes that pic from a great shot to a wow shot.

 

[Blacktop]

I really liked the blowing hair. Perhaps with a higher shutter speed it would have captured it better, but I don't really see a problem here.

 

[Rhealite]

I will be on my computer tomorrow. I know I have lots to post on there. They are of my daughter, that way I know I have permission to post it. Everything y'all have said has really helped me.

 

[Woodyg3]

I edit every single picture I take. Even the ones from my point and shoot. It's not much different from tweaking each print I developed in the darkroom years ago.

It's time consuming, but it's also half the fun of photography, IMO.

 

[Eyelight]

I edit every single picture I take. Even the ones from my point and shoot. It's not much different from tweaking each print I developed in the darkroom years ago.

It's time consuming, but it's also half the fun of photography, IMO.

Good perspective. I have never thought about it that way.

I shot a lot of Kodachrome years ago for the express purpose of preventing the lab from messing with my work. Technique did not always capture the vision though and I did not have the equipment to do color lab work, so many an image went into the almost category. I have scanned a number of the better shots from years ago, but just had the thought a few days ago that with software, I need to look thru the almost file again and see what good shots might be hiding.

 

[Rhealite]

ok, here is one that i thought was great until i got a closer look.

ISO100
52MM
0EV
f/5.6
1/125

 

[Eyelight]

Good composition.

The sunlight on the arm detaches the arm from the subject (her), more or less makes it part of the brighter background details, similar to what DOF does, but with light instead of focus.

Might be a little soft, but others have better eyes for such than I do.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

ok, here is one that i thought was great until i got a closer look.

ISO100
52MM
0EV
f/5.6
1/125

Composition is good but the color and contrast need some routine "punching up"; sharpening too, I'd say.

...

 

[aced19]

Like Eyelight said. The sunlight on her arm cause the camera to under expose the rest of the picture. This has happened to me many times.
Just use a flash to help over come this. Anytime I see any sunlight on the subject I use flash. Don't know if thats the "proper" way, but it works for me.
The picture is a little soft also.
Just use the unsharp mask setting I posted or bump up your sharp settings to 6 or 7 in camera.
Like I said using photoshop you could turn this picture into a great picture.

 

[Eyelight]

Had a thought of how to illustrate what I was seeing. Notice how the farther away we get, the arm begins to really steal the show. May not at all be why you did not like it, but it has an effect on the brain as it looks for the subject.

 

[Rhealite]

I see that now. The things that stuck out to me first was that it was so soft and not crisp.

 

[singlerosa_RIP]

First pic is yours, second is with 15 seconds with Lightroom, using the Graduated Filter and a few tweaks. More time and moving to Photoshop would make it look even better. Like the others, I rarely get a shot that can't benefit from post processing.

 

[Eyelight]

Make sure you look at this on the screen with an angle that allows the most vivid color. Does this look ever so slightly crisper?

 

[Rhealite]

Thanks y'all (yes I'm in the south) so much for all of your help. I am so excited to make the tweeks you suggested. My goal this year was to educate myself more about photography and to gain more confidence in myself. Finding this answer has helped more then you know!

 

[skater]

I didn't mean I expect to get the perfect shot every time. I just know to many people that rely on Photoshop. I know there will be a few times I will need to correct the color. I am just frustrated that the vision I had as I was shooting is not what was showing up. I think the calibration is what will help me.

The issue is that every digital camera does some Photoshopping, because that's how they produce jpgs. It's a question of whether you want to do it yourself or hope the camera's built-in defaults are good every time. Usually the camera will do at least a decent job, but I've found the pictures almost always get much better after running them through Aperture. Think of it as replacing the developing step in film.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[dutchie]

Then sell your camera and get a point and shoot.I don't mean to sound harsh not my intentions. As I've posted in other threads.Most people think because they own a nice camera their pictures are going to have that wow look and magically take outstanding photos every time they pick it up.It's just not how it works. You have to learn how to use it. The reason I say that, because I was one of those people. Boy was I disappointed when I rushed home to view my pictures on the pc. I learned real quick it's not the camera.Just like the picture you posted. It was a great shot from the beginning. But with the wind blowing it will mess with the auto focus at times. Depending on what setting you used for AF.I just added unsharp mask on your picture. Took 2 seconds.View attachment 88052The D7000 does take soft pics at times. A simple unsharp mask will cure that.Settings areamount: 112%radius: 0.9threshold: 0I do this to about 90% of my pictures.I will take the photo down if you want me to. I just used it for a example.

How do you add unsharp mask?I am using lightroom and CS^ but cant figure out how to sharpen my images without making them look grainy.thanks a lot Cheers!!! may sound likie a stupid question but I am new to light room and cs6 and mostly just do a few tweaks.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

How do you add unsharp mask?I am using lightroom and CS^ but cant figure out how to sharpen my images without making them look grainy.

Here's a tutorial: Unsharp Mask: How Do You Use That Thing?

...

 

[aced19]

How do you add unsharp mask?I am using lightroom and CS^ but cant figure out how to sharpen my images without making them look grainy.thanks a lot Cheers!!! may sound likie a stupid question but I am new to light room and cs6 and mostly just do a few tweaks.

I use these settings 99% of the time.
Settings are
amount: 112%
radius: 0.9
threshold: 0

It does look grainy while in the program. But add the unsharp mask and save the picture. Then look at it, it won't look as grainy as it did in the program.
I don't know how to add in lightroom. But in CS6 click on filter/sharpen/unsharp mask. Then use settings above.

Great tutorial Horoscope Fish.

 

[aced19]

I am just frustrated that the vision I had as I was shooting is not what was showing up.

I understand what your going through. Also what you see on your LCD is not what you get when you get home and look on the pc. Just to show you what I was talking about photoshop here is a picture before and after.



5 min in photoshop


Now I cut part of the boys head off. But see the difference.

 

[aroy]

For the first image - the AF has a tendency to wander if there is a lot of detail moving - as in your case the hair is blowing, so the AF may be trying to track the hair instead of the face. I have had a lot of shots where the AF had a mind of its own, till I realised what was going on. Now a days I try to phocus on, say the eye, and then lock it before taking the shot. Else I wait till the moment is right an shoot.

Taking shots in RAW simplifies a lot of things. First of all you can play with exposure compensation, and then selectively boost/dampen the highlights or shadows. There is enough DR to play with. Unfortunately with JPG you do not have much latitude.